The ENGAGE Podcast

In this excerpt of a conversation with Satonya Fair, President and CEO of PEAK Grantmaking, she encourages grantmaking organizations to rethink their relationship with risk. Instead of focusing on being responsible for the foundation, she recommends looking to how organizations build deeper relationships with applicants and grantees and be poised to be responsive to the needs of the community.

• PEAK Grantmaking
• The Myth of Risk: Fear Not the Dragons, Funder
• Full Webinar

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $51 billion from over 8,500 organizations in the United States!

To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors, industry experts, and friendly faces to lead virtual fireside chats, podcast episodes, and more! Today’s episode of the sgENGAGE podcast features a conversation between Steve McLaughlin, Vice President of Product Management with Blackbaud and a senior advisor to the Blackbaud Institute, and Dr. Una Osili. A global expert on philanthropy and social innovation, Dr. Osili has more than two decades of experience in leadership, economic policy and research across the public and private sectors. She serves as the Associate Dean for Research and International Programs, Efroymson Chair in Philanthropy, and Dean’s Fellow for the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

There is no doubt that the giving landscape is shifting—from the donors who are responding to the way they want to be engaged. In this excerpt from their longer conversation, Steve McLaughlin and Dr. Una Osili break down the data on the changing demographic in charitable giving and how fundraisers can leverage this information to grow alongside this new generation of donors.

Topics Covered in this episode:

• The latest data on who is giving to charitable organizations, how they choose to give, and what drives them.
• Strategies to engage with a new generation of donors and prepare for the future.

Resources:On demand, Blackbaud Institute Index’s 10th Anniversary Celebration More from sgENGAGE and the Blackbaud Institute To receive quarterly updates on the Index straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Source newsletter.

Quote: “There's a bit of a call to action for nonprofits and fundraisers: how do we engage the next generation of donors? We have four generations in the charitable landscape and a big part of our job ahead, our task ahead, and the work ahead–for all of us–is engaging that next generation of donors.” – Dr. Una Osili

Alex Budak, UC Berkeley faculty member and author of Becoming a Changemaker, joins Blackbaud’s Rachel Hutchisson to discuss how to develop your mindset and leadership skills to make positive change as part of our CSR Book Club Series. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What is a changemaker?
• How to drive change
• Humility in Leadership
• Changemaker Index
• Leadership book recommendations

Resources:

Alex Budak

Becoming a Changemaker

Changemaker Index

Quotes:

"Leaders might be scarce, but leadership is abundant."

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $40 billion from over 8,400 organizations in the United States! 

To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors, industry experts, and friendly faces to lead virtual fireside chats, podcast episodes, and more! Today’s episode of the sgENGAGE podcast features a conversation between Blackbaud Institute managing director, Ashley Thompson, and leadership expert and coach Marc Pitman. Marc helps high performers keep their edge, emerging leaders maintain their momentum, new leaders confront the demands of their position, and established leaders find fresh strategies. In this excerpt from their longer conversation, Marc and Ashley explore the concept of doubt and how it can be embraced as a framework for developing your skills and becoming an exceptional leader.

 Topics Covered in this episode:

• Leveraging your strengths and weaknesses to become an effective leader
• Storytelling as a tool for identifying your unique contributions

Resources:

Blackbaud Institute Index’s 10th Anniversary Celebration

More from sgENGAGE and the Blackbaud Institute

To receive quarterly updates on the Index straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Source newsletter.

Quotes:

“My premise in my working with leaders has proven that sometimes, ‘what am I missing?’ isn't the right question; that doubt can push us and can get so big that it pushes us to ask, ‘what if I'm the right person for this role?’ ‘What if I'm exactly what the team needs?’ ‘What if this organization is exactly the voice the sector needs?’” – Marc Pitman

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $40 billion from over 8,400 organizations in the United States!

To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors, industry experts, and friendly faces to lead virtual fireside chats, podcast episodes, and more! Today’s episode features a conversation between brand strategist Ben Smithee and the Blackbaud Institute’s Ashley Thompson. At The Smithee Group, Ben Smithee has been helping leaders and businesses dream bigger and achieve more. In this excerpt from their conversation, Ben shares his expert advice on how a powerful brand allows for organizations to drive higher value and cataclysmic demand. Unfortunately, as Ben points out, powerful branding like this is one of the biggest areas where organizations fall behind today. He and Ashley connect on current trends in philanthropy and the for-profit sector to outline how you can get ahead of the curve by creating a relevant, legacy-focused brand in today’s digital ecosystem.

Topics Covered in this episode:

• What is a brand and, more importantly, what isn’t?
• Building equity by delivering on your brand’s promise
• Growing your legacy alongside a new generation of donors

Resources:

Blackbaud Institute Index’s 10th Anniversary Celebration

More from sgENGAGE and the Blackbaud Institute

To receive quarterly updates on the Index straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Source newsletter.

Quotes:

“A brand is a promise that an organization has the opportunity to deliver upon.” – Ben Smithee

“How do we become relevant to the future of the organization and create a legacy? By focusing on the future stakeholders of the organization. We can't fall in love with how we've always done things.” – Ben Smithee

For the past 10 years, the Blackbaud Institute Index has tracked year-over-year trends in philanthropy and annual giving statistics—with the goal of empowering organizations to know their sector and raise more, faster. Over this time, the Index has grown to track over $40 billion from over 8,400 organizations in the United States! 

To celebrate we’ve invited some of our most trusted advisors, industry experts, and friendly faces to lead virtual fireside chats, podcast episodes, and more! We couldn’t have kicked off the series with a better guest than Chuck Longfield, renowned data scientist, philanthropy strategist, and the creator of the Blackbaud Institute Index! Now retired, Chuck allowed us to steal him from the golf course for a little while to sit down for a conversation with Steve MacLaughlin—lucky us!

In this excerpt for the sgENGAGE podcast, Chuck shares the inspiration behind the Blackbaud Institute Index and the value of such a significant and diverse data set when determining current trends and best practices in the sector. After the podcast, check out the full webinar, available on demand, where the two discuss the lessons Chuck has learned over his 40 year career, and put their heads together about how these lessons can help organizations navigate the road ahead.

Topics Covered in this episode:

• Origins of the Blackbaud Institute Index
• The Importance of benchmarking
• Applying academic rigor to the study of philanthropy

Resources:

Blackbaud Institute Index’s 10th Anniversary Celebration

More from sgENGAGE and the Blackbaud Institute

To receive quarterly updates on the Index straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Source newsletter.

Quotes:

“Because there really wasn’t any gold standard, different organizations can pick and choose their metrics can pick and choose the definitions of their metrics. And it causes organizations I think, too often, to come to the wrong conclusion about maybe what their next step should be. And so, for many of the years that I've been working in this area, I wanted to try to standardize these metrics.” – Chuck Longfield

Many foundations face hurdles in creating advocacy agendas whether it be convincing a board of directors, finding the time and resources, or seeking funds from grantmakers. Chynna A. Phillips, senior director of policy and research at Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, and Melissa Levesque, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Coastal Community Foundation, spoke with Blackbaud’s Sally Ehrenfreid, government relations lead about implementing advocacy in foundations and their respective journeys.

Topics covered:

• Introducing advocacy and policy to boards
• Building advocacy into your organizational infrastructure
• Creating an advocacy agenda rooted in core values
• The distinction of advocacy and policy versus politics
• Advice for nonprofit organizations seeking funding from grantmakers

Resources:

Chynna A. Phillips

Melissa Levesque

Sally Ehrenfried

Advocacy and Awareness: 4 Tips for Virtual Campaigning

Quotes:

“Boards decide how fast you’re going to move as an organization.”

“We had our grantmaking and community leadership committee really own sort of the nuts and bolts of developing our advocacy agenda.”

“A great grant proposal is really just exceptional storytelling that matches a need for financial support.”

“Stay connected to your ‘Why?’, build trust with your community leaders, and have honest conversation.”

The shift to remote work post-pandemic has caused many employees to feel stressed, burnt out, and out of control of their workplace dynamic. Meico Marquette Whitlock, founder of The Mindful Techie, shares tools and strategies on how to regain control and relieve the stressors that face us.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Major impacts of the pandemic on wellbeing
• How values have changed
• How nonprofit professionals can adjust to the new workplace
• What leaders can do to protect their employees
• Tools and strategies to enhance your wellbeing

Resources:

Meico Marquette Whitlock

The Hybrid Workplace Wellness Playbook for Grantmakers

6 Ways Nonprofit Professionals Can Conquer Post-Pandemic Workplace Stress

The sgENGAGE Podcast: Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Wellbeing for Grantmakers

5 Ways Grantmakers Create Work- and Tech-Life Balance

Quotes:

“A lot of organizations are making assumptions of what people want, and I think the first place to start is to actually ask the question.”

“You really have to just be human and be very vulnerable about what you're dealing with and to see them as a person versus an employee or a worker.”

“practicing social distancing with your technology can support you in having a healthier relationship with technology.”

Businesses emerged as the most trusted institutions in the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, which also showed that people expect more from businesses in solving the world's problems. So, how can companies step up to lead the charge and maintain that position of trust?

Kendra Fogarty, corporate social responsibility manager at UScellular, spoked with Blackbaud's Rachel Hutchisson about the role of CSR and community engagement in building trust with consumers, employees, and community members. Listen in to hear Kendra share her key takeaways from the Edelman Trust Barometer data, how UScellular engages communities and employees, and how companies can make sure that their philanthropic programs truly meet the needs of the communities they are intended to help.

Topics covered in this episode:

• The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer
• The opportunity for companies to continue to build trust with employees, consumers, and communities
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community connections
• How UScellular approaches CSR and community engagement
• How companies can help employees feel a sense of community and purpose
• Why CSR is important to institutional investors

Resources:

• Kendra Fogarty
• UScellular
• UScellular's Afterschool Access Project
• Podcast: Fixing the S in ESG
• Blackbaud's Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Employee volunteerism has become an essential component of a company’s corporate social responsibility and employee engagement strategies. In this episode, Melissa Hackmeier, global head of employee & community engagement at MilliporeSigma, joins the podcast to discuss how she launched the company's first ever global volunteer program and the best practices and lessons she’s learned along the way.

Topics covered in this episode:

• How Melissa developed and implemented MilliporeSigma's first-ever SPARK™ global volunteer program, which has more than 9,700 employee participants engaging 235,000 students in 36 countries to date
• How Melissa secured buy-in for their program
• The key's to the program's successful launch and lessons learned along the way
• The role of technology in enabling a successful global volunteer program
• The SPARK program's biggest impacts, both internally and externally
• Melissa's advice for other CSR professionals looking to start or grow employee volunteer programs
• What nonprofits looking to engage with corporate volunteers should consider

Resources

• Melissa Hackmeier
• MilliporeSigma's CSR Program
• MilliporeSigma's SPARK Volunteer Program
• Blackbaud Institute Report: CSR Programs as an Employee Engagement Tool
• Employee Giving and Volunteering Made Easy